Close Fight At X-Yachts Gold Cup

X-Yachts Gold Cup 2008

Copenhagen, Denmark

This years X-Yachts Gold Cup will live on in history as some of the closest races in five classes ever sailed.

It was not only the two One Design Classes X-41 and X-35 where the races were close, and the points close to even. In the two Sports Classes and in the Family Class in the X-Yachts Gold Cup nothing was settled before the boats reached the finishing line in the last race. And in all five classes, the scores were exceptionally close, which proves not only that the boats are really equal in speed, but also that the competition is very and extremely even.

Oliver LEU from Germany won the Family Class (for all kind of X-boats sailing without spinnaker) in his X-37 CGMer with a margin of 1 point to number two, who was Lars JEPPESEN, Denmark with Royal Danish, a Xc 45, which is the first ever 100% cruising boat X-Yachts has ever built. It was presented to the public the day before the X-Yachts Gold Cup and nobody expected the cruising boat to do any thing in the races but being seen. But the boat proved to be very fast indeed especially in the heavy winds in the last two races.

Number three was the Kornum family from Denmark in their five-year-old X-362 Pryde. There were 25 yachts in the Family Class.

In the Sport Class for X-Yachts between 30 and 37 feet, there was only one point between number one and number two. Both of them Danish owned X-37s, Jan Kildegaard HANSEN in "Hansen" and Ingolf Nordal in "Mio". The third boat had only two points more, Monkey Business sailed by Ruben KNUDSEN.

For the Sport Class from 40 feet and up to 55 feet, the X-50 from Denmark Eye2eye, sailed by Thor BENDIXSEN, came first with only 1 point to number two, another Dane Henrik JØRGENSEN in his X-40 "X-box" with 18 point. William FRIIS-MØLLER in Mandalay came third with 22 points same points as Pralex sailed and owned by Mads Barner CHRISTENSEN, also from Denmark.

The X-Yachts Gold Cup was drawn lots for among the five Class winners - and winner of the 11th X-Yachts Gold Cup 2008, is X-50 Eye2eye, helmed by Thor BENDIXEN from Denmark.